Apparatus for collecting and conveying water



Patentedumfay'a, |899'.

J.. T. LACKEY.

APPARATUS FOR-COLLECTING AND CONVEYING WATER.

(Application led June 27, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Modet.)

No. 624,504. Patenten ugly a, |399'.

.1. TQLAGK'EY. APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING AND-*CONVEYING WATER. (Application filed June 27, 1898.)

(Nu Modal.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

TN: Nonms crews co.. #How-Uma., wnsuwcrou, n. c.

, the one well'into the other.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES THOMAS LAOKEY, OF GOSPOR'I, IOWA, ASSIGNOR `OF ONE-HALF TO RICHARD G. MCOOY, OF DALLAS, IOWA.

APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING AND CONVEYING WATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f LetteIS Patent N 0. 624,504, dated May 9, 1899.

Application filed June 27, 1898. Serial No. 684,633. (No model.)

My object is to provide means adapted to be operated automatically and without expense for power to lift and convey water from a plurality of wells located at dierent places on different elevations' of the surface of the ground to a tank, reservoir, or well located at some distance from the other wells and source of supply.

In localities and seasons when drought occurs and the supply of water 'for irrigating and for the common needs of persons'and animals on farms or other places where there are no lakes or running streams is exhausted it frequently occurs that water may be obtained by digging wells into water-bearing strata at various points on a farm or area at some distance from a house or barn,field or cattle-yard, mill or manufacturing establishment where water is to be used, andit therefore becomes necessary to convey the water to the place where it is wanted. i l-Ieretofore 4wells have been connected by underground drains in such a manner that water in a well and at a higher elevation than a well below the level of the elevated well would naturally iioW from Water has also been elevated and conveyed from one point to another and higher point by means of pumps and hydraulic rams 5 but my purpose is to have water automatically collected from a plurality of wells and conveyed -to a tank or well by means of pipes extended into the wells and under the surface of the ground and the flow of water automatically regulated in the different wells without any extraneous machinery and applied power, as co'ntelnplated by my invention, which consists in the arrangement and combination of parts, as hereinafter set forth,pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawingsin which- Figure l is a landscape View showing the relative positions of a plurality ofv wells at distant locations from each other and from a wells.

tank and'their connections with the tank by means of. pipes extended over the surface of theground between the wells. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the ground on a vertical line through one of the elevated wells, showing the extension of a pipe into the well andthe 4mechanism at the bot-tom of the pipe for controlling the iiow of Water through the pipe. Fig. 3 is a view showing two wells on a level 6o plane connected by an underground pipe, as required `to be protected from frost, and the pipe connected with a pump in one of the wells to lift water from both wells and, as contemplated, to l`collect and elevate water from a plurality of wells when connected with the pipe leading to the pump. Fig. 4L is an f enlarged View of a valve adapted to be connected with the bottoms of the `pipes in the wells. 7c

The letter a designates a pipe connected with a tank, as shown in Fig. l, or with a pump ina well, as shown in Fig. 3.

b, c, d, andf(shown in Fig. l) are branches connected with the pipe a and extended down into wells that are located at distances apart to serve as siphons in elevating water from the At the bottom of the pipe in each well is attached a valve g, and combined with the frame of the valve-seat is fulcru med an elbow- 8o shaped lever h, adapted to be operated by a iioat m, connected with the end of the long arm of the lever in such a manner that when the water in the well is exhausted to a point below the level o f the ioat the float will become inoperative and allow the long arm of the lever to descend by force of gravity, and in doing so its short arm, in contact with the valve, will press the valve upward and close it, as required to cut olf the low of water into 9o the pipe in the well and from thence to the well-tube n, connected with the purnp-cylin-` der r in the well.

Y In the practical operation of my invention when the air is exhausted from the tube ct and its branches that extend into water in the wells with which the branches are connected and the end of the tube a is water-sealed by means of Water in the well-tube n, with which it is connected, each branch pipe b, c, d, and rooA f will serve as a Siphon to elevate water from the well in which the branch terminates, submerged in water. As water is then withdrawn from the well in which the pipe a is connected with the well-tube and pump in sufficient quantity to lower the level of the water in a plane below the float m the valve g will be automatically closed by the action of the lever h, and a supply for the pump will then be drawn through the pipe a from the wells with which the branch pipes b, c, d, and f are connected. v"When any one of the wells with which the branch pipes are connected becomes exhausted sufficiently to make the iioat m inoperative, so that the lever h will close the valve g, the iiow of water from that well into the pipe will be cnt off, as required to prevent the admission of air into the pipe and also as required to prevent particles of foreign substances that may be in the bottom of the well from being drawn into the pipe. It is obvious that while water in one of the wells may be thus automatically cutoff the Water in the other wells may continue to flow through the branches connected therewith into the pipe a and from thence into the welltube n to supply the pump until in succession each well may be cut off by means of the valve and lever and float connected therewith and that thus water will be automatically collected and conveyed from a plurality of wells located at different points to a pump in a well located where the water is to be used. It is also yobvious that the Well in which the pipe is iirst automatically closed when the water in the well is nearly exhausted will again accum ulate water, and before all the other wells are exhausted the iioat fm will again become operative and actuate the lever h to open the valve g and to allow the well to supply water to the pipe a, as required to maintain water in the well with which the pump is connected, and that no extraneous artificial power is necessary for elevating an d con veyin g water from a plurality of wells at different points and at different elevations relative to the surface of the ground to a well ata distance therefrom in which is a pump or mechanical water-elevator.

Having thus 'described my invention and its automatic operation, its utility is obvious, and what I therefore claim as new, and desire to secure Letters Patent therefor, is-

1. A plurality of wells connected with each other, and with a distant tank, reservoir or well by means of a pipe connected with said distant receptacle for accumulating water therein and provided with branches that are extended down into the said plurality of wells and each pipe in each well provided at its open lower end with a valve and automatic valve-operating mechanism to convey water from the wells successively in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

2. An apparatus for collectingwater from wells located at different points, consisting of a main pipe extended into awell and provided with a valve at its open bottom and automatic valve-operating mechanism connected therewith, one or more branch pipes extended from the main pipe and terminating in wells at different points of elevation and the open end of each branch pipe provided with a valve and automatic mechanism for operating the valve and a pump in the Well wherein the main pipe is located, to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated. v

3. An apparatus for collecting, conveying and elevating water comprising a pump in a well and an automatic valve at the bottom of the welltube and pump, a pipe for conveying water from other wells connected with the well-tube ata point below the pumpcylinder, a plurality of branch pipes connected with said pipe for conveying water and the end portion of each branch pipe extended down into a well, and said branch pipes terminating at different points of elevation relative to each other, a valve at the lower end of .each of said branch pipes, and mechanism for automatic ally operating said valves in succession, all arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

et. The pipe CL connected with a well, tank or reservoir, the branches b, c, d, and f connected with said pipe and each branch extended down into a well and each pipe provided with a valve g, lever 7i and .iioat fmJ at its open lower end, substantially as shown and described for the purposes stated.

5. The pipe a, the branches b, c, d, and f, a valve g, lever h and ioat m at the open end of each of said branches and a well-tube 'n provided with an automatic valve at its lower end, all arranged and combined with a plurality of wells to operate in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.

JAMES THOMAS LACKEY.

IOO 

